Combining economic growth and nature protection in Armenia: Switzerland launches multi-annual project with CHF 4.500.000

Combining economic growth and nature protection in Armenia: Switzerland launches multi-annual project with CHF 4.500.000

On April 4, 2022, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC approved
an amount of CHF 4.500.000 for an earlier announced project “Living Landscapes for
Market Development in Armenia”. The project will assist Armenia to combine in an
innovative manner nature conservation and economic growth to the benefit of those
most in need. The project is implemented by the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF)
and the Strategic Development Agency NGO as a part of a broader regional program
Eco-Corridor Fund for the Caucasus (ECF).

The Caucasus ecoregion is one of the richest areas worldwide in terms of biological diversity.
At the same time, Armenia’s mountain ecosystem is an important productive source for rural
communities. However, the ecological status in the country is rapidly deteriorating,
threatened by the impact of climate change, poor land and natural resource management.
The high levels of rural poverty mirror the poor ecological situation. Current policies so far
have hardly responded to the triple challenge of poverty, environmental destruction and
unfolding climate change effects.

To address these challenges, the Swiss funded project “Living Landscapes for Market
Development in Armenia” aims at improving incomes of farmers and rural businesses in
remote areas, thanks to a better economic and more sustainable use of local natural
resources. As an effort to link economic growth, protection of natural resources and
biodiversity, it also contributes to promoting environment and climate change policies. The
heart and the core of the project is the development of an environmentally friendly tourism
with the rural, poor population as the main beneficiary. This focus of an inclusive tourism
which complements the official national tourism policy has a large potential for upscaling
within Armenia and in the South Caucasus.

The project will last for eight years, with funds amounting to CHF 4.500.000, and will be
implemented in Tavush, Lori, Syunik and Vayots Dzor regions of Armenia.

The project is a part of a larger regional program Eco-Corridor Fund for the Caucasus (ECF)
funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
and the KfW Development Bank. The Armenian component is implemented by the WWF-
Armenia, in partnership with Strategic Development Agency NGO.

Swiss Cooperation Office in Yerevan

April 04, 2022 at 17:31